Hurts, Don't It? CH 2
by SPN-Sweetheart2011
Summary: Sam and Dean are staying with Liz and something happens to bring Dean and Liz closer together.


Sam looked at his older brother. "Dean? What did you do to her?" Dean looked at Sam, whose eyebrows were raised in concern.

"I—I abandoned her when she needed me most." Sam stared at him. "It was after you took Lucifer back to the Cage, but before I went to live with Lisa." Dean sat down and buried his face in his hands. "I went to Liz because, y'know, she's a hunter like us. She'd understand." He took in a shaky breath. "I stayed with her for a week… Her mom killed herself one day. Liz was so devastated. Her mom was her only real family left, and then she went and killed herself." He looked up at Sam, tears welling in his eyes. "She… shot herself in the head. And what did I do to help Liz? I left her. I just…left. Without any warning. No letter, no explanation, no phone calls, nothing. I didn't answer any of her calls afterwards." He stopped talking for a minute and looked at Sam. "What the hell is wrong with me? I loved—I love her. She was the closest thing I got to a girlfriend as a hunter. She took care of both of us when we were all together, which wasn't often. She was so good to us… Why couldn't I take care of her? Huh? I hate myself for leaving her. I think about it every day. I was too much of a coward to stay with her, too much of a coward to tell her I was leaving, and too much of a coward to talk to her. I can't blame her for hating me and I wouldn't have blamed her if she did shoot me." They sat in silence.

"Maybe if you would apologize to her… She's nice, she loves us, she said so herself when we got here. Maybe if you just told her you were sorry she would forgive you. Not right away, of course, but over time..." He trailed off.

"Sammy, you don't understand. How could she forgive me if I can't forgive myself?" Sam thought for a second before saying anything.

"Maybe her forgiving you will help you forgive yourself, Dean." He said slowly.

"She won't. I know she won't. If I explain to her that I left her for another woman, she'll shoot me. She wouldn't hesitate to."

"She won't shoot you." Dean looked warily at Sam, suddenly feeling older than he was. He was tired; emotionally, physically, and mentally tired. He didn't have the energy to argue with his baby brother. He found himself wishing that he could go up to bed with Liz. He wanted to hold her in his arms, look in her eyes, stroke her fiery red hair and watch her sleep like he had done two years ago. He wanted to wake up next to her, go downstairs and put on a pot of coffee and watch the news while she made breakfast… "Dean?" Sam's voice was coming back now and Dean shook himself out of his reverie and looked at his brother.

"Yeah?"

"…Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Sammy. I'm fine." Quietly, he stood up and walked down the hallway and grabbed two blankets out of the linen closet and walked back to the living room. He tossed one to Sam, who had claimed a rather large and comfortable recliner. Dean unfolded his blanket, threw it on the couch, turned the lights off and sat down on the edge of the sofa. He rubbed his tired eyes, kicked off his boots, and stretched out, pulling the blanket up to his chin. He laid there for a moment before inhaling the smell of the bedcover, he had missed this smell. It was so familiar, yet he couldn't quite place the scent.

The entire house smelled like her smudge stick. Dean smiled at the thought of her walking through her house burning a bundle of sage. _"It's to clear the bad juju,"_ she had told him with a grin. The last time he had been here, her home smelled of sage and coffee. They stayed up all night, catching up, talking about their hunting trips, consoling each other until they passed out on the couch. _"This couch."_ Dean thought to himself. The last time he had been on this couch, Liz had fallen asleep in his arms. Dean remembered thinking how beautiful she was, sleeping there. She looked perfect. And he thought about how he didn't deserve her. How she was far too good for him, how she was -is- a better person.

As Dean began to drift to sleep, he thought he heard Liz whisper his name, just as she had done years before, only slightly different. More urgent. He heard it again and he opened his eyes. There was no doubt she was calling his name now. He had heard her twice, the second time louder than the first.

"Sam? Sammy, wake up." Sam groaned from the recliner.

"What?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear wha—"

They heard Liz's muffled voice calling for Dean. Sam clicked on a lamp and looked at his brother, the both of them now wide awake. Her voice was getting louder.

"Liz?" Dean shouted. "Elizabeth?" He called again after no response.

"Dean!" He jumped off the sofa and flew up the stairs and ran down the hallway to her bedroom. He turned the door knob.

"_Dammit!_ Locked!"

"Dean!" She was screaming now.

"Liz! I'm coming in!" He kicked the door in and turned the lights on. She was fighting with what looked like a male vampire. He picked Liz up and tossed her against the far wall of her room, knocking her unconscious and turned to Dean, hunger in its eyes. He lunged at him and the two began their struggle, Dean desperately trying not to get bitten. He pulled the monster away from Liz's room and shoved it against a wall.

"Sam! Sam, get a gun! They should be-" He was cut off when the monster grabbed him by the neck and shoved him down the stairs. When he turned back into Liz's bedroom, she had disappeared from view. The vampire took a cautious step into the room, and then another. It swept its head from side to side, trying to smell her out. A malicious grin spread across his face as he looked at her closet. He slowly approached the door, stalking his prey. He placed his hand on the door knob and slowly turned it, drawing out the woman's sense of impending dread, and opened the door. A loud bang sounded through the house. She had shot it right between the eyes and the monster dropped to the floor, lifeless. She stood over the body for only a moment before running down the stairs.

"Are you both all right?" She asked. Dean stopped rubbing his neck where the vampire had grabbed him and jumped up to go to Liz.

"We're fine. Are you okay?" Dean stretched out his arms to hug her, but she stepped back. His arms fell to his sides.

"Liz," Sam stepped towards her, "you're bleeding." He gestured to his throat.

"Am I?" She turned and looked in a mirror. "Oh. I guess I am." She walked to the kitchen, leaving the boys standing in her living room. The two looked at each other in awe. Dean walked into the kitchen.

"Liz." She ignored him. "Liz!"

"What, Dean? What do you want?" She glared at him. He looked at her for a second, slightly taken aback.

"You called my name." She shook her head and opened her mouth to disagree but Dean spoke again. "Liz, don't you even deny it. You called my name. You were in trouble and you wanted my help." She turned to him before answering.

"Dean, what would it matter if I did?"

"God dammit, Liz, there's no "if" and you know it."

"Fine! Fine, yeah, I was calling _your_ name. Big deal."

"But, Liz," it was Sam this time, "it kind of is a big deal."

"Oh, shut up."

"No. You yelled for Dean for a reason. What was it?"

She stood and looked at the two brothers; she didn't know what to say. She had never been very good with words.

"I just…" She hesitated "I knew he'd come for me." She looked at the floor. "Dean would always come when I needed him." A tear hit the floor and she looked up at the older of the two. "I probably would have called for you even if you weren't here," she said weakly, "I'd always call for you, Dean." Dean took a step closer to her. "Don't even begin to think that I forgive you for leaving me, Dean Winchester." He smiled just a little.

"So. What are we gonna do with ugly up there?" Dean asked and gestured upstairs.

"Bury it, I guess," spoke Liz, giving a slight shrug. "You two go upstairs and get him, I'll get everything together." Sam nodded and left to go upstairs, leaving Dean and Liz alone.

"Liz—"

"Don't, Dean—"

"I'm sorry." She looked up at him. "I was a real dick for leaving you when I did. And I don't expect you to forgive me—" She threw herself into his arms and buried her face in his chest. He still smelled the way he had two years ago. Dean stood shocked for a moment before wrapping his arms around her thin frame. They stood together for what felt like ages before she leaned away to look at him.

"Don't _ever_ leave me again, got it?" She said, staring into his hazel eyes.

"I won't." He pulled her back into his embrace, catching a whiff of her hair. He smiled.

"Dean?" Sam called from upstairs. "You gonna come help me or what?"

The couple let go of each other and left to tend to their duties.


End file.
